Boys' name · peaked in 2011
Max name popularity since 1925
146,707 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Max (0.7% girls, 99.3% boys). Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Max is about 25 years old in 2026. Max peaked in 2011 as the #96 name for boys, and it ranked #180 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 146,707
- Named Max, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #180
- for boys in 2025 (2,025 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.3% boys
- 1,026 girls · 145,681 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 2.77× its national share
Peak year is the year Max made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Max births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2009. Measured as a share of all babies, Max peaked in 2011.
- Steepest fall: Between 1938 and 1943, Max's share of baby boys fell by 42%, from 1 in 953 to 1 in 1,630.
- Fastest rise: Between 1982 and 1987, it became 3.1× more common, from 1 in 3,930 baby boys to 1 in 1,290.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Max's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Max.
Decade by decade
Babies named Max in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 57 | 6,607 | – |
| 1930s | 66 | 11,757 | #128 |
| 1940s | 23 | 8,526 | #189 |
| 1950s | 35 | 7,430 | #256 |
| 1960s | 12 | 5,023 | #377 |
| 1970s | 11 | 4,231 | #382 |
| 1980s | 55 | 8,741 | #274 |
| 1990s | 75 | 18,216 | #195 |
| 2000s | 90 | 27,368 | #165 |
| 2010s | 267 | 34,141 | #117 |
| 2020–25 | 335 | 13,641 | #180 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
30.8% of babies named Max from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Max is most popular
The index compares Max's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Max.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 2.77× | 3,423 |
| Idaho | 2.11× | 1,217 |
| Kansas | 1.91× | 2,830 |
| Indiana | 1.73× | 5,931 |
| New Mexico | 1.66× | 1,329 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Max and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Max (this page) | 145,681 | 2011 |
| Maxx | 4,078 | 2010 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Max's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Max.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Max (2011).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data